Manifest delivery system and method

ABSTRACT

There is provided a method and system of determining efficient routing of a mail piece in a delivery system for delivering mail pieces. The system determines whether or not the mail piece requires urgent delivery. The system determines a weight of the mail piece. Also, the system determines, based on the urgency determination and the weight determination, a most cost-effective place in which to introduce the mail piece into the delivery system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/283,356 by Peter Furka, filed Apr.13, 2001, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to delivery of mail pieces, and morespecifically, to methods and systems for determining where to mostcost-effectively introduce a mail piece in a delivery system.

BACKGROUND

Today's systems for handling and delivering mail pieces, such as, forexample, packages, letters, flats, catalogues, and postcards are highlycomplex. For instance, mail pieces may be input into a delivery systemat any number of locations. The mail pieces may be input at a deliveryoffice, such as a post office close to the mailer, or a delivery officeclose to the receiver of the mail piece. Similarly, the mail pieces maybe addressed to a plurality of receivers, including receivers both nearand far from the mailer. Oftentimes, mail pieces introduced into adelivery system are delivered via inefficient routes and services whichthereby may incur additional costs.

One type of delivery service for mail pieces in a delivery system isbulk mailing. Bulk delivery involves consolidating a group of mailpieces together so that they may be input into a delivery systemtogether. For those entities involved in bulk delivery, inefficienciesin delivery systems can compound into exorbitant and unnecessary chargesfor the mailer. For example, mail consolidators provide a type of bulkdelivery. Mail consolidators are entities which take mail pieces from aplurality of sources and combine the mail pieces to obtain the bestdelivery rates of the delivery system, such as bulk delivery discountrates. With such a great number of mail pieces, mail consolidators mustfind the most cost-efficient ways of utilizing a delivery system. Forexample, when mail consolidators use a delivery system, such as theUnited States Postal Service (USPS), the mail consolidators must choosewhere in the delivery stream of the delivery system to introduce aconsolidated group of mail pieces, wherein such placement in thedelivery stream will determine the rates that will be charged.

Manifest delivery is a mail piece processing method and system which maybe utilized with bulk delivery. Manifest delivery allows a mailer todocument delivery costs and fees for all mail pieces in a mailing, suchas a bulk delivery, via imprinted indicia, such as, for example, with abar code. Each mail piece in the mailing is assigned a uniqueidentification number that may be compared with a manifest whichcontains the unique identification number. The unique identificationnumber is then coded into an indicia and imprinted on the correspondingmail piece. The imprinted indicia may also contain other information,such as, for example, delivery fee due. Thus, using the imprintedindicia eliminates the need to affix postage. Manifests and indicia maybe used to track domestic or international deliveries, as well as feesfor special services. Mailers may present manifest documentation to thedelivery system office in hard copy or in an electronic format, such as,for example, on a diskette or via an e-mail.

Within the USPS, a mailer may introduce mail pieces at a number ofdifferent places in a delivery stream of the delivery system to obtainthe benefit of a number of different rate classifications for thedelivery. A delivery stream comprises the entire route a mail piecetravels from the mailer to its destination. FIG. 1 illustrates aconventional delivery system 100 and the flow of mail pieces in thissystem. For example, a consolidator or other mailer 110 may introduce agroup of mail pieces at a number of different delivery system offices.Mailer 110 may introduce the group of mail pieces at a destination bulkdelivery center (DBMC) 120, which represents the least finely sortedmail and the smallest postage savings compared to normal first classmailing. A manifest accompanying this group of mail pieces to DBMC 120would include information about all the mail pieces in the group. Otheroptions for introducing the group of mall pieces include destinationsectional center facilities (DSCF) 130, wherein mail is sorted to anintermediate level farther in the delivery stream, providing anintermediate level of postage savings. The farthest location downstreamin which the group of mail pieces can be introduced are destinationdelivery units (DDU) 140 which would be closest to the destination andwhere a mailer 110 would realize the greatest postage savings.

A mailer's use of DBMC 120, DSCF 130, and DDU 140 are governed by amultitude of rules. These rules govern, for example, required minimumnumbers of mail pieces and the method of presenting the mail pieces,such as palletization of mail pieces. Often, mailers and/orconsolidators are unaware of how and when to make critical decisionswhich will lead to the most cost effective mailing of their mail pieces.

Thus, there is a need to overcome these and other problems and provide amethod and system for determining where to most cost-efficientlyintroduce a mail piece in a delivery system.

SUMMARY

In accordance with certain aspects consistent with the presentinvention, there is provided a method of determining efficient routingof a mail piece in a delivery system for delivering mail piecescomprising determining whether or not the mail piece requires urgentdelivery, determining a weight of the mail piece, and determining, basedon the urgency determination and the weight determination, a mostcost-effective place in which to introduce the mail piece into thedelivery system.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth inpart in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious fromthe description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained bymeans of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the Invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several aspects consistent withthe present invention and together with the description, serve toexplain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional delivery system and flow of mailin the delivery system;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a mail piece processing method according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a mail piece processing system according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary mail piece manifest accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is another illustration of an exemplary mail piece manifestaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is yet another illustration of an exemplary mail piece manifestaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings that form in part thereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration, specific exemplary embodiments in which the invention maybe practiced. These embodiments are sufficient in detail to enable thoseskilled in the art to practice the invention and it is to be understoodthat the embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention. The followingdescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense.

One embodiment consistent with the present invention recognizes thegrowing business of logistics management, whereby the connection betweentwo business entities, a mailer and a mail piece consolidator, areclosely managed by a process that ensures that the least costs areincurred by both entities. This approach attempts to provide a method tominimize costs among many different mailers and mail piece consolidatorswhen they deal with large volumes of individualized mail pieces.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a mail piece processing method according to oneexemplary embodiment of the present invention. The process begins atstage 200 with a mail consolidator receiving a plurality of inbound mailpieces. At stage 202, a determination is made whether delivery speed oreconomy is more important for delivering inbound mail pieces. Forexample, if a mail piece is a time sensitive bill or a check, speed maybe more critical than economy. But, if the mall piece is non-timesensitive mail, such as, for example, a letter or catalog, economy maybe more critical.

When speed is more important, another determination is made at stage204. Stage 204 comprises determining the weight of the mail piece. Theweight of the mail piece is compared to a predetermined weight whichrelates to the type of service available. The predetermined weight willdetermine if a priority or regular service may be available for the mailpiece. If the mail piece weighs more than the predetermined weight, themail piece is flagged for priority service (stage 206). If the mailpiece weighs less than the predetermined weight, the mail piece isflagged for standard service (stage 208).

For example, if the delivery service is the USPS and the mail pieceweighs more than 13 ounces, priority mail is used. When the mail pieceweighs less than 13 ounces, first-class mail is used.

When economy is determined to be the more important delivery criterionin stage 202, another determination is made in stage 210. At stage 210,it is determined whether the mail piece weighs more than a secondpredetermined weight. As in the case where delivery speed is moreimportant, the second predetermined weight relates to the type ofservice available. The second predetermined weight determines if apackage service or standard service may be available for the mail piece,if the mail piece weighs more than the second predetermined weight, themail piece is flagged for package services (stage 212). If the mailpiece weighs less than the second predetermined weight, the mail pieceis flagged for standard service (stage 214).

For example, if the USPS is the delivery system and the mail pieceweighs more than 16 ounces, package services is used, in stage 212. Whenthe mail piece does not weigh more than 16 ounces in this exemplarycase, standard services is used in stage 214.

After it is determined what service should be used, mail pieces aresorted (stage 216). For example, inbound mail pieces may be sorted intodifferent groupings, such as sacks of mail pieces, trays of mail pieces,or pallets of mail pieces. Moreover, sorting mail stage 216 may comprisesorting the mail pieces based on their zip code or other destinationindicator, or based on size to preclude safety issues arising regardingweight or cubic volume.

Next, in stage 218, it is determined where in the delivery stream of thedelivery system to introduce inbound mail pieces. This determination isbased, in part, on the results of sorting stage 216. Again, those mailpieces introduced farther in the delivery stream will generally receivethe greatest savings in delivery charges, since less mail pieceprocessing is required by the delivery service. Those mail piecesintroduced earlier in the delivery stream will receive less postagesavings due to greater mail piece processing. The determination made atstage 218 may also be affected by a total number of mail pieces. Forexample, savings may be attained by consolidating more than one mailpiece in a single mass delivery.

Regardless of whether speed or economy is most important, an identifyingindicia is affixed on all mail pieces at stage 220. One skilled in theart would realize methods of affixing indicia may include, for example,manual placement, automatic pressure placement, and blow-on placement.The identifying indicia may comprise, for example, information relatingto mail piece sorting stage 216, determining stage 218, or, more simply,which delivery service is being used.

Based on the identifying indicia, a single manifest is created (stage222). This single manifest may comprise all data relating to theshipment of inbound mail pieces, such as delivery service, location ofmail input, and delivery charges.

Once the manifest is created as shown in stage 222, inbound mail piecesare presented to the delivery service, which will be carrying the mailpieces (stage 224). In stage 226, based on the single manifest, paymentsare presented to the delivery service.

Optionally, the determining stage 218 may be tempered by classificationeligibility. Based on, for example, content sensitivity, processingcategory, or sorting capability, a mail piece may not be eligible forcertain mailing services. Mail pieces which are content sensitiveinclude, for example, First-Class mail under delivery monopoly, such aspersonal correspondence, bills, or statements of account. Processingcategories apply to materials that have an odd shape, such as, forexample, an irregular parcel, a roll or a tube, a root or a plant scion,or a mail piece not otherwise capable of mechanical processing (asopposed to a letter, flat, or machinable parcel). Mail pieces inprocessing categories often require more complicated management comparedto mail pieces that can be mechanically processed. Similarly, sortingcapability involves the ability of a mail piece to be mixed with otheritems for sorting. For example, due to likely damage to itself, otherparcels, or mechanical equipment, mail pieces comprising dense matter(such as, for example, a bowling bail or a shot put) or extremelyfragile material, may not be sortable.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a mail piece processing system 300 for performingthe mail piece processing method illustrated above in FIG. 2. System 300comprises a system control unit 310, an imaging unit 320, a scale 330, amail piece sorter 340, and an identification indicia affixing unit 350.

System control unit 310 serves to control different components of mailprocessing system 300. System control unit 310 also performs the variousdeterminations of the mail processing method and creates the manifestfor the mail pieces.

System control unit 310 comprises a computer unit 312, an input device314, a monitor 316, and a printer 318. Computer unit 312 may containstandard components for inputting, outputting, manipulating, and storingdata. For example, the computer unit may comprise a central processingunit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), video card, sound card, magneticstorage devices, optical storage devices, input/output (I/O) terminals,and a network interface card (NIC) (all not shown). Computer unit 312may be connected to printer 318 through the I/O terminals. Examples ofthe I/O terminals to which printer 318 may be connected are parallel,serial, universal serial bus, and IEEE 1394. Likewise, input device 314may be connected to computer unit 312 though the I/O terminals. Also,monitor 316 may be connected to computer unit 312 through the videocard.

Computer unit 312 may also be connected to other computer units andcontrol systems through a network (not shown) via the NIC. For example,the network may be a local area network (LAN) or wide area network(WAN), such as the Internet, or wireless network.

Computer unit 312 is configured to receive information describing themail pieces, such as type and weight, determine a delivery system streamentry point, and generate a mail piece manifest. The processes may beconfigured in the form of a process created using various programminglanguages or software suites. For example, delivery system stream entrypoint determination and manifest generation processes may be a programwritten in the Java™ programming language, hypertext markup language,spreadsheet platform, or C programming language.

Imaging unit 320, for example, a digital scanner or digital opticalcharacter recognition (OCR) camera, is connected to computer unit 312through one of the I/O terminals. Imaging unit 320 is used to scan theinbound mail and capture an image of the mail piece. The image of themail piece may be transferred from scanning unit 320 to computer unit312 via the I/O terminals. Computer unit 312 can determine the type ofmail piece by comparing the image with sample images stored on computerunit 312. Once the type of the mail piece is determined, the decision toprioritize the speed or economy, in stage 202, can be made. For example,the mailer of the mail piece is determined, such as an utility company,and then a determination of the type of processing is made for thatparticular mailer.

Alternately, imaging unit 320 may be removed and a human operator mayview each mail piece and determine if speed or economy processing isnecessary.

Scale 330 is connected to computer unit 312 through the I/O terminals.The mail pieces are placed on scale 330 in order to determine the weightof the mail piece (stage 204, 210). Once the weight is determined, theweight is transferred from weight unit 330 to computer unit 312 via theI/O terminals.

Alternately, a human operator may observe the weight of each mail pieceon scale 330 and input the weight of each mail piece in computer unit312 via input device 314.

Sorting unit 340 is an automatic sorting machine. Sorting unit 340 maybe connected to computer unit 312 through the I/O terminals. Sortingunit 430 sorts into different bins, such as bags or carts, based oninformation transferred from computer unit 312. Alternately, sortingunit 340 may be a human operator manually sorting mail pieces intodifferent bins.

Once all the information on the mall pieces has been entered intocomputer unit 312, the delivery system stream for the mail pieces isdetermined. The determination is achieved by determining the deliverycharges for the mail pieces for various delivery system streams. Forexample, a database containing the delivery rates for mail pieces basedon weight and delivery system stream entry point may be stored on astorage device in computer unit 312. For each mail piece, computer unit312 determines the delivery charge of each mail piece or a group of mailpieces for different delivery system stream entry points. Then, the bestdelivery system stream entry point is determined by comparing thedifferent delivery charges for the different entry points.

Identification indicia affixing unit 350 is connected to computer unit312 through the I/O terminals. For example; identification indiciaaffixing unit 350 may affix a indicia by manual placement, automaticpressure placement, or blow-on placement. Once the mail pieces aresorted and the delivery system stream entry point is determined, a mailpiece is fed to identification indicia affixing unit 350 whereby aidentification indicia is affixed to each mail piece. The identificationindicia uniquely identifies a mail piece and may include otherinformation, such as delivery charge.

Once the mail pieces are affixed with information indicia, computer unit312 generates the manifest. The manifest may be in hard copy output fromprinter 318 or in an electronic format, such as on a diskette or via ane-mail. The manifest may contain such information as, for example,delivery charge, delivery method, mail piece type, etc.

In FIG. 3, the different units are illustrated as separate units. Oneskilled in the art mud realize that separate units could be combinedinto one single system. For example, a standard mail sorting machine,such as those utilized by the USPS, may be adapted by adding a imagingunit, scale, and indicia affixing unit to perform the mail pieceprocessing method illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary mail piece manifest for use in adelivery system of the USPS. This manifest incorporates all factorsrelating to a mailers request for service and any and all standards,regulations, or volume requirements that exist for a given flow ofmaterial. Choice of delivery service or classification may be improvedby automating these standards, regulations, or volume requirements in anelectronic manifest. Savings and benefits versus other choices ofservices may be garnered. A single manifest may be used for each mailtype determined at stage 202 of FIG. 2. Thus, for example, a singlemanifest may be used for those mail pieces for which economy is mostimportant. Optionally, the manifest may be divided into separate economyand speed manifests.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of such an economy manifest 400 arrangedin columns and rows. Each row entry 402 comprises a complete record fora single mail piece, each piece being identified by a mail pieceidentifier 404. A destination level column 406 identifies a type of bulkdelivery, such as mail pieces on pallets, in trays, or in sacks. Adestination zip code column 408 identifies a delivery zip code and,based on pre-sorting, a level of entry into the postal system.

For example, mail pieces which are delivered to a DDU will berepresented by a 5-digit zip code in column entry 408, while those mailpieces being delivered to a DBMC will be represented by the first 3digits of a zip code. Actual weight column 410 represents the actualweight of each mail piece, here shown, for example, in pounds. Standardservices weight column 412 represents the weight of each packagedesignated for standard services. Mail pieces under 16 ounces, hereclassified as, for example, standard service, have a different ratestructure based on whether the mail piece weighs more or less than aprespecified weight. For example, mail pieces weighing less than fourounces could be eligible for the same rate of 25 cents. In contrast, thepostage for mail pieces exceeding four ounces may be based on actualweight as a portion of a pound. For example, if the standard servicedelivery rate is one dollar per pound, postage for an eight ounce mailpiece would be 50 cents. Moreover, those mail pieces exceeding 16 ouncesmay be displayed on the manifest in partial pound increments toillustrate actual weight, but such mail pieces may be charged postage atthe next highest full-pound weight. Thus, for example, a mail pieceweighing 3.05 pounds is payable at the 4-pound rate.

Zone indicator column 414 represents a code for a distance between amailer office and a receiver office. Table 1 contains exemplary zoneindicators are presented below for the USPS mail system:

TABLE 1 Zone Definition Local The local zone applies to mail depositedat any post office for “L” delivery to addresses within the deliveryarea of that office. 1 Includes non-local destination offices < 50 milesaway 2 Includes destination offices > 50 miles and < 150 miles away 3Includes destination offices > 150 miles and < 300 miles away 4 Includesdestination offices > 300 miles and < 600 miles away 5 Includesdestination offices > 600 miles and < 1000 miles away 8 Includesdestination offices > 1000 miles and < 1400 miles away 7 Includesdestination offices > 1400 miles and < 1800 miles away 8 Includesdestination offices > 1800 miles away

A delivery rate code column 416 indicates a type of delivery servicebeing used. Table 2 contains exemplary delivery rate codes for the USPSdelivery system are presented below:

TABLE 2 First-Class Mail 1 Priority Mail 1P Priority Mail - Flat-rateEnvelope PF Bound Printed Matter BB Library Mail BL Parcel Post Localand Intra-BMC/ASF BI Parcel Post Inter-BMC/ASF Machinable BR Parcel PostInter-BMC/ASF Nonmachinable BN Parcel Post Destination Bulk Mail CenterDB Parcel Post Destination Sectional Center Facility DS Parcel PostDestination Delivery_Unit DD Special Standard Mail BS Standard Service ABalloon Rate X Oversized O Book & Sheet Music BK Letter/Letter PackagesLC M-Bag-Regular Printed Matter, Catalogs & Directories (Surface) PMMM-Bag-Books, Sheet Music (Surface) BKM Air M-Bag AM Parcel Post PPPrinted Matter PM Small Packet SP

Definitions and uses for these delivery rate codes can be found, forexample, in United States Postal Service Publication 401, “Guide to theManifest Mailing System.”

Delivery confirmation indicator column 418 is a binary indicatorrepresenting whether or not a delivery confirmation service is requiredfor a mail piece. Likewise, bar code indicator column 420 is a binaryindicator representing whether or not a mail piece would receive adiscounted rate by including a bar code. Postage indicator column 422represents the calculated postage for a given mail piece. Calculation ofthe postage may be based on one or more indicators 410, 412, 414, 416,418, and 420. Finally, a cumulative postage column 424 represents arunning postage charge for all mail pieces in listed economy manifest400.

Economy manifest 400 may be used by a delivery system to track packagesthrough the delivery system. Economy manifest 400 may also be used totrack total postage charges for a delivery. FIG. 4 facilitates decisionmaking as to where mail pieces should be introduced in the deliverystream. The decision to introduce mail pieces earlier in the deliverystream, with its attendant higher delivery costs, is balanced with thetransportation and other costs associated with a choice to deliver themail pieces farther along in the delivery system stream. An exemplaryeconomy manifest 400 would be automated to include calculation functionsand logic to ensure that all requirements for various deliveryclassifications would be met.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show how these exemplary mail manifests could be used tocompare costs between two different sets of decisions on where tointroduce mail in a USPS delivery system. For example, FIG. 5 shows adelivery where all mail pieces (e.g., those on a pallet, in sack #1, andin sack #2) are introduced at the DBMC. As indicated in cell J39 ofFIG., 5, the postage total for mail pieces sent in this way would be$37.5968. In contrast, FIG. 6 shows a delivery where some mail piecesare introduced at the DBMC (including those on a pallet), while othersare introduced at the DDU level (including those in sack #1 and sack#2). With this strategy, the postage, as calculated in cell J47 of FIG.6, would be $35.0627. A mailer may similarly use these exemplary mailpiece manifests to determine a most cost-effective way to introduce mailpieces in a delivery system stream. Moreover, a mailer may runalternative scenarios considering many different entry points for mailpieces in order to obtain an optimum cost for a mailing.

While the manifests illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 show a USPS deliverysystem, it is to be understood that the principles of the invention maybe used also in private express and courier systems, freighttransportation, and the like. The manifest would be structured in asimilar manner. The difference would be the rates for different deliveryservices used to calculate delivery costs and codes used to specify thedifferent services.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the invention being indicated by the following claims.

1-34. (canceled)
 35. A system for determining efficient routing of a mail piece in a delivery system for delivering mail pieces comprising: a imaging unit for generating an image of the mail piece; a weight scale for determining a weight of the mail piece; and computer unit connected to the imaging unit and the weight scale for determining a most cost-effective place in which to introduce the mail piece into the delivery system and generating a manifest.
 36. The system of claim 35, wherein the computer unit comprises a central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), video card, sound card, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, input/output (I/O) terminals, and a network interface card (NIC).
 37. The system of claim 35, further comprising a sorting unit connected to the computer unit for sorting the mail pieces based on a delivery service type.
 38. The system of claim 35, further comprising a identification indicia affixing unit connected to the computer unit for affixing an indicia on the mail piece based on a unique number contained in the manifest.
 39. The system of claim 38, wherein the identification indicia affixing unit is a device selected from a group consisting of manual placement device, automatic pressure placement device, and blow-on placement device.
 40. The system of claim 35, wherein the imaging unit is a device selected from a group consisting of a digital scanner and digital optical character recognition (OCR) camera.
 41. The system of claim 35, further comprising a printer connected to the computer unit for printing out the manifest.
 42. A method of determining economically efficient routing of a mail piece in a delivery system for delivering mail pieces comprising: determining a weight of the mail piece; sorting the mail piece based on delivery service; and determining, based on the weight determination and sorting, a most cost-effective place in which to introduce the mail piece into the delivery system.
 43. The method of claim 42 wherein determining the most cost-effective place in which to introduce the mail piece into the delivery system is further based on comparing a cost of introducing a mail piece at a first point into the delivery system versus a cost of introducing the mail piece at a second point into the delivery system.
 44. The method of claim 42, further comprising generating a manifest including the weight of the mail piece, an identification number of the mail piece, the most cost effective place, and a delivery charge for the mail piece.
 45. The method of claim 44, further comprising affixing an indicia on the mail piece based on the identification number contained on the manifest.
 46. The method of claim 45, wherein affixing the indicia on the mail piece comprises one or more manual placement, automatic pressure placement, and blow-on placement.
 47. The method of claim 42, further comprising generating an image of the mail piece.
 48. A system for determining routing of a mail piece in a delivery system for delivering mail pieces comprising: a weight scale for determining the weight of a mail piece; a sorting unit for sorting the mail piece based on delivery service; a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing the processor to determine, based on the weight determination and sorting, a cost-effective place in which to introduce the mail piece into the delivery system.
 49. The system of claim 48, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to determine the cost-effective place in which to introduce the mail piece into the delivery system based on comparing a cost of introducing a mail piece at a first point into the delivery system versus a cost of introducing the mail piece at a second point into the delivery system.
 50. The system of claim 48, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to generate a manifest including the weight of the mail piece, an identification number of the mail piece, the cost effective place, and a delivery charge for the mail piece.
 51. The system of claim 50, further comprising an identification indicia affixing unit for affixing an indicia on the mail piece based on the identification number contained on the manifest.
 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the identification indicia affixing unit is a manual placement device, automatic pressure placement device, or blow-on placement device.
 53. The system of claim 48, further comprising an imaging unit for generating an image of the mail piece.
 54. The system of claim 48, further comprising a printer for printing the manifest. 